Three of the top fillies in the Breeders' Cup received a major part of their education from them.

Leading 2-year-olds Kauai Katie and Dreaming of Julia, and 3-year-old My Miss Aurelia, are among nearly 20 entrants for the weekend races that were stabled at the Oklahoma this year.

The trio is collectively unbeaten in 12 starts.

The gate crew's talent goes a long way toward helping trainers get the most out of their runners.

Duncan served as the starter for the New York Racing Association from 1993 to 2003.

He is currently a consultant to NYRA and several private clients, and has been working the gate since the late 1960s.

Duncan has seen the art of gate training evolve during his career, and he has happily changed with it.

"We were always very good about getting horses into the gate, but sometimes we weren't seeing the big picture," he said on a recent morning at the Oklahoma. "Of course, this is upon reflection, because we were doing what we learned and thought it was a competent job. But we've come to know that while we were getting the horse into the starting gate, his mind was elsewhere. So over the years we've tried to use more patience."

It is a patience that is horse-centered, and the communication from human to animal is often as light as a wave of the hand or a chirp.

Duncan explained that at about the time he became the NYRA starter, he made contact with several individuals who had outstanding reputations for their communication with animals.

One was Monty Roberts, the author of the book "The Man Who Listens to Horses" and a national spokesman for non-verbal communication.

Roberts had seen a public television show, produced by Winner Communications, on the NYRA gate crew while visiting Saratoga.

He invited Duncan to his facility in Solvang, Calif., and they were eventually invited to the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing, serving together on a panel discussing the public perception of racing.

The late Ray Hunt, described by Duncan as "the father of this movement in modern times," was another influence on the changing methods of handling horses.

Duncan remains fond of one of Hunt's sayings: "I don't treat people with horse problems, I treat horses with people problems."

Duncan noted that Hunt was influenced by Tom and Bill Dorrance, western cattlemen and horsemen who were long ago praised as horse whisperers.

"What we are doing today is sort of like old information that has been brought back," Duncan said. "They used the term horse whisperers in the old days."

Duncan expressed his admiration for this group, which used the surrounding environment in communicating with the horse.

He also credited Pat Parelli for popularizing natural horsemanship.

"We just never saw that at the track," he recalled of the 1960's. "It's not like we were mean, but they are big animals and you had to be forceful with them. Today, the horse is learning in a settled way and learns to relax and breathe deep into his abdomen. A horse in a flight mode will have a short, choppy breath, and run out of gas after showing tremendous early speed."

Duncan and his crew are an integral part of the training program at the Oklahoma, which is in operation from mid-April to mid-November.

Owners, trainers, riders and horses all like the local setting.

"It does matter to be doing this here," Duncan said. "There is a more settled atmosphere. It's less like a racetrack and more like a training center. Particularly when working with horses that have been racing and have developed some issues. Going over to the front side (the main track during the racing season) reminds them of the races. It's more of a challenge over there. Here, we can spend more time with them and break down the lessons into digestible morsels."

The lessons center on the first issue of getting the horse to accept the gate itself, and the confines of the stall, while entering it from behind.

The second issue is teaching them to move out of the front of the gate, and then learning to exit more quickly, which prepares them to race.

"Eventually, the horse knows he is going to be asked to hurry," Duncan explained. "His job description changes at that point, to intense exercise to the point of exhaustion. So there is pressure. Sometimes they don't mind going back to the gate, but sometimes they do mind what follows."

This is one of the critical points in the art of schooling at the gate.

As with humans, the stress of competition can bring out internal issues.

A great golfer with a perfect swing is compromised if his mind is not clear.

"Things that really aren't gate issues can often manifest themselves in the gate," Duncan said.

Kauai Katie, winner of the Adirondack Stakes, and Dreaming of Julia, winner of her career debut at the Spa, are both trained by Todd Pletcher.

"Kauai Katie was here all spring and she was a very good student," said Duncan. "As for Dreaming of Julia, she advanced through the program without any issues."

Duncan credited Pletcher for backing off when necessary and keeping things balanced during their training.

My Miss Aurelia, winner of the Mandy's Gold Stakes at Saratoga, is trained by Steve Asmussen and is the reigning Eclipse champion of her division, having won the Adirondack and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2011.

Duncan also praised Asmussen for his approach to gate training.

"He is religious about standing his horses (in the gate) between starts and his program is testament to good gate work," he said. "He stands them faithfully every day. It's almost a dress rehearsal. We do everything that happens in a race, other than breaking. And his horses stand like soldiers and break like rockets."

That, in a nutshell, is the desired outcome of bringing a horse up to a race.

The path to getting there is in good hands with Bob Duncan and his team at the Oklahoma Training Track.